Dan wrote: |
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Hi, guys —
I have a problem understanding the meaning of the following
prayer:
Holy Mary, I want to belong to you. I give you my whole
self and all the things I do: at home, at school, in church
and on the playground. My mother, I am all yours and all I
do belongs to you.
Now, the First Commandment says:
"Thou shalt not have
other Gods before me."
I don't understand why, with this prayer, we put our whole self
in the hands of the Virgin Mary.
I thought the role of Mary
is to intercede for us to her Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
This prayer contains powerful words that are making me think.
My wife and kids pray this prayer every morning; I asked if
she knows who wrote it but she doesn't know. She won't give
up saying this prayer.
- I need to know who wrote it and
if it is approved and recognized by the Vatican.
Thanks in advance for your time and help.
God Bless!
Dan
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| { Why do you have a prayer where you ask to put your whole self in the hands of Mary, not Jesus? } |
Sam commented:
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Hi Dan,
Mary is the mediator of all graces, but she has no power in herself.
She has to pray to God for any grace, as she is only human. When we
dedicate ourselves to Mary (which is what the prayer does, nothing
more), we dedicate ourselves to the cause she espouses, which is none
other than the Will of God.
The prayer is not an act of adoration which
would be in breach of the commandment you quoted, as only God can
be adored. The prayer, as I said, is one of dedication — i.e.,
following Mary in all things, remembering that Mary, more than any
other person, was at one with the Will of God.
Sam
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Naomi commented:
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Dear Dan,
Yours was a good question.
My family converted to Catholicism
a few years ago and the hardest thing for me to accept
was our relationship to Mary.
Christ gave Mary to John, and to all of us, on the Cross:
26 Woman,
behold your son ... 27 Behold, your Mother.
John
19:26-27 |
Surely your mother does more than pray for
you. From the time of babyhood, a mother nourishes and
guides her child in the right path. Mary is the most
perfect mother and always leads us to God Incarnate,
her Son, Jesus.
Mary loved Jesus more than anyone, more than any creature. She
was completely united to His Will, His Heart, His Saving
Mission. She is an example for us how to live a daily
human life all for Jesus. She wants nothing more than
to save souls from Hell, and to bring them home to Heaven.
We consecrate ourselves to Mary, in order to give her
our life so that she can bring souls to Jesus through
it. Mary is the most perfect Christian. To consecrate
ourselves to her, is to act as she would in any situation:
"all
the things I do: at home, at school, in Church and on
the playground".
At Fatima (approved by the Church),
Mary asked us to consecrate ourselves, our homes, our
parishes, and our nation to her Immaculate Heart.
Because we belong to Mary, does not mean we do not belong
to God. Mary belongs to God totally.
- Did you know that Pope John Paul II's papal motto is "Totus tuos", meaning "totally
yours", referring to Mary?
I hope this helps.
God Bless you!
Naomi
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Mike replied:
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Hi, Dan —
I'd like to add one last thing.
In the Holy Scriptures, our Blessed
Mother speaks only one time in all of the New Testament. At the wedding
feast in Cana she tells others at the wedding: "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5
1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and
the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and
his disciples, to the marriage. 3And when they wanted wine, the
mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith
unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith
unto you, do it.
John 2:1-5 |
Mary tells us to do what Jesus says, so striving to be the perfect
model of all Christians, we follow her advice. There isn't a family
fight in Heaven: Who gets the prayers: Jesus or Mary? It
is not a matter or Jesus or Mary, it is Jesus and Mary. When we honor
Mary, we honor Jesus as He, being a practicing Jew, was mandated
to do by Jewish law:
The Fourth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother.
As Naomi stated:
Christ gave Mary to John, and to all of us, on the Cross:
26 Woman,
behold your son ... 27 Behold, your Mother.
John
19:26-27 |
St. John represents mankind.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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